Means for insulating building and like structures



June 25, 1940. F|NK 2,205,829

MEANS FOR INSULATING BUILDING AND LIKE STRUCTURES Filed Nov. '1, 1937 Patented June 25, 1940 FATENT OFF! MEANS FOR INSULATING BUILDING AND -31 LIKE STRUCTURES Joseph L. Finck, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application November 1, 1937, Serial No. 172,270

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the art of heat insulation, and more particularly to the insulation of building and like structures.

The total heat transfer through any structure may be considered as taking place in some or all of the following three forms: (a) conduction, (b') convection, and (c) radiation. The first form occurs when heat is being transferred through a solid, or through a quiescent fluid. The second lb occurs in a fluid, and is manifested by natural convection currents within the fluid. The third occurs in open spaces, whether those spaces be evacuated or filled with a fluid, as for example, air.

This-invention is concerned entirely with the last form, radiation. If one should carry out numerical calculations of the magnitude of the heat transferred by radiation at room temperature, basing the calculations on Stefan-Boltz- 20 manns law for total radiation, and also bearing in mind that the emissivity of materials ordinarily entering into building construction, such as wood, brick, paper, etc., may be as high as 80 or 90 per cent, one will find that this form of heat transfer is a very large fraction of the total heat transfer. At the present time, where a large number of air spaces are intentionally introduced into a structure, by using hollow tile, studding or a brick construction so arranged as to form 30 air spaces, radiation becomes the chief mode of heat transfer.

I propose to reduce the amount of heat transfer by radiation through a simple and effective method, namely by utilizing the high reflecting power of. metals. My method is to coat with metal the surfaces of materials which enter into the construction of buildings and the like, in order to reduce the heat transferred by radiation. It will be evident that only those walls which 413 define the air spaces need be coated with metal.

A few practical examples of how the invention may be carried into effect are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 show several modifications of wall construction embodying the present invention.

As previously indicated, in carrying this invention into effect, it is proposed to provide a rigid structure such as a building or other wall which 30 is intended to prevent heat exchange from one zone or space to another. That is to say, it is proposed to metalize one surface of a non-metallic sheet or wall in such a way as to utilize the high reflecting power of metal'to the best ad- 35 vantage.

It is practical, at the present time, to spray metal on any surface such as brick, wood, paper, etc; Of course, one would naturally select a metal that is comparatively cheap, easy to work,

which has a reasonably low emissivity, and which a will not oxidize very readily. Tin or some alloy of tin and lead, or aluminum might suit the purpose very well. However, no restrictions need be made as to the kind of metal to be used, or to the method of applying the metal. Practically all metals will have emissivities much lower than thoseof building materials, and there will be material gain in using any metal. Further, one method of applying the metal may be easier than another, but however the metal is applied, 1

whether by spraying or by pasting on metal foil, the result, as far as the reduction in heat transfer by radiation is concerned, will be the same.

While as shown in the drawing both faces bordering on the air spaces may be coated with metal either in the form of a spray coat or in the form of metal foil, only one such face parallel to the wall surface may be coated with metal without any great loss of the effectiveness if thereflecting power of this metal surface is high. For example, in case of aluminum foil the reflecting power may be as high as 95%, and therefore such metal on one wall reduces the transmitted radiation to a very small value.

If desired the lateral walls of the air spaces, namely those surfaces which are disposed transversely to the wall and border on the air spaces may also be covered with a metal coating. The metal coating on these surfaces will increase the heat conductance of these lateral Walls by a negligible amount but this will be more than compensated by the reduction in the passage of radiated heat caused by the metalized surfaces. In order to minimize the conductance of these walls, these lateral or transverse surfaces may be coated with metal over the area extending say one-third from each end of the surface and leaving a porticn thereof uncoated. In this way the increase in conductance of the lateral or transverse walls of the air spaces is minimized and the advantages of the metal coating are obtained. This form of. the invention is particularly applicable to hollow tile or the like where the expense involved in coating the heat transmitting surfaces or the surfaces which are parallel to the wall is not substantially increased by coating also the adjacent portions of the lateral walls. the invention'disclosed herein the expense invoived in coating the lateral walls or surfaces may not be warranted by the advantages that flow In other forms of H therefrom. It is understood, of course, that bythe wall. Where, however, it is possible to obtain the advantages of the metalized surface on a lateral wall of the air space without any substantial increase in expense involved, such surfaces or interrupted portions thereof may also be coated.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the essential features of the invention will be fully understood, and that it also is the intent to make the claimed invention applicable generally to the construction of wall, partitions, ceilings, floors, roofs and like structures, or wherever air spaces are employed to reduce the transfer of heat from one zone to another.

If desired, the dry aluminum bronze for example may be employed during the process of manufacture of some of the above mentioned sheet materials so as to coat one face thereof. This metal is particularly applicable to such of these materials which, in the course of their manufacture, have a tacky surface. Such surface may then be sprinkled with an excess amount of dry aluminum bronze powder, the material being then rolled down and the excess powder brushed off. This process applies particularly to asphalt coated building paper in which case the dry aluminum bronze powder is sprinkled over the asphalt coated paper while the asphalt is still tacky. After rolling, the excess powder is brushed off. The process may also be applied to such materials as plaster board or the like, and also to such other materials as fibre board and particularly to such fibre boardwhich is coated with a waterproof layer in which case the dry aluminum bronze powder is sprinkled over the surface while the water proof coating is still tacky.

In the case of bricks and hollow tile, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the present commonly employed processes of manufacturing the same need not be at all modified and the present invention may be applied to such bricks and hollow tile after the present processes of manufacturing the same have been completed. For this purpose it is suflicient to coat such surfaces of the brick or hollow tile which are desired to be metalized with an adhesive such as asphalt or water glass or the like and then sprinkle over this adhesive coated face metal powder such as aluminum bronze or the like, to thoroughly cover the face. Then this brick or hollow tile is permitted to dry.

When such metal coated brick or hollow tile is employed in fire-proof constructions, the pres ence of the metalized faces against the air spaces, which minimizes the transfer of heat through the wall, greatly increases the fire-proof quality of the wall. The reason is that in case of a confiagration radiation is the principal" form by which the heat is transferred across the air space,

and the retardation of this heat transfer by the the asphalt coated face and passing the building paper through heated calender rolls; the calender rolls being heated just sufficiently to impart to the asphalt a desired degree of tackiness, thereby causing the aluminum bronze or powder to adhere to the asphalt. Lead or aluminum foil may also be pasted on to building paper by means of heated calender rolls, and such paper may serve the same purpose.

Fig. 1 shows a hollow tile construction which is provided with the customary passages ll separated from each other by the webs l2 and having one face l3 which is finished in the customary way as shown by the corrugations M for receiving plaster or cement. The side walls H) of the .tile are provided with forwardly projecting flanges l6 which extend the full length of the front of the tile. In the manufacture of this hollow tile the face 60 may be metal coated in the manner described hereinabove. If desired, the faces parallel to the face fill and disposed within the spaces ll may also be coated with metal. In this construction, however, the amount of additional insulation that may be obtained by coating the inner faces is not sufficient to warrant the expenditure. The coating of the exposed face 60 may be conducted with great facility and at a much smaller expense than the coating of theinner faces.

The employment of the tile in a wall construction as shown in Fig. 1 produces relatively wide air spaces H. The manner in which the wall construction shown in Fig. l is made is obvious to persons skilled in the art. l8 indicates the mortar between the adjacent tiles and the plaster board l9 is placed against the ends of the flanges H5. The plaster board maybe held in place by nails 20 which enter the mortar I8 between the hollow tile. On the other face, 2| indicates plaster, cement, orany desired surfacing material which is applied to the tile. It will be understood that instead of plaster board l9 any other plaster base may be employed or any other wall board of any type desired. It will also be understood that the plaster board IE) or whatever material may be employed may be coated with metal foil on the face exposed to the air space l1.

If desired building paper may be employed as a carrier or support for metal foil. Such building paper is then mounted between the wall board or plaster base l9 and the air space 11, taking care that the metal foil is exposed to the air space. It will now be seen that, in the wall construction shown in Fig. l, the air spaces ll are bounded by a metal surface, and whether such metal surface be on the face 60 of the hollow tile or on the face of the plaster board IE or similar material, the transmission of heat by radiation is minimized and substantially eliminated.

The tile construction shown in Fig. 1 as well as in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 may be coated with metal on the face or faces bounded by the vertical flanges; but such tile may also be employed without any such coating, particularly so where the tile is employed in a wall construction in which the facing materials such as plaster board, wall board, or building paper are coated with metal foil on their face exposed to the air space. The tile construction shown in these figures co-operates with customary facing elements in wall construction for the purpose of providing air spaces between such facing elements and the tile. Such air spaces may be in addition to the spaces within the tile where hollow tile is employed or such air spaces may be in lieu of interior air spaces when the tile of Figs. 3 and 4 is employed. In Fig. 2 each of the lateral walls 23 of the hollow tile is provided with both a forwardly projecting flange 24 and a rearwardly projecting flange 25. Air spaces 27 are formed on one side of the hollow tile by cooperation between the flanges and the facing elements 23 and air spaces 29 are formed on the opposite side of the tile between the flanges 24 and the facing elements 3!). The tile construction of Fig. 2 may have metal coating on its front face 3! or on its rear face 32 or on both faces. Where such metal coated tile is employed in the Wall construction of Fig. 2 the facing material 28 or 36 need not be coated with metal foil. On the other hand, if such facing materials 28 or or both are coated with metal foil on the face exposed to the air spaces 27 or 29 uncoated tile may be employed.

The tile shown in Fig. 3 does not have any in.- terior air spaces and is so constructed that such tile may be employed in a wall construction in such a manner as to create air spaces between 'them and also to cooperate with other facing materials for creating air spaces. Such a wall construction is shown in Fig. 3 in which the tiles have their flanges 33 abut against each other so as to form air spaces 34, whereas their outwardly projecting flanges 35 abut against the facing materials so as to form air spaces 38 and 39. As has already been stated the tiles may be coated with metal foil or the like on their faces 40 if desired the facing materials may be coated with metal foil on their faces M and 42, respectively.

The tile shown in Fig. 4 has only one set of flanges 5i projecting from the face 52, whereas its face 53 is finished in the customary manner as a base for plaster or the like. The tiles are arranged back to back and form with the facing materials 54 and 55 air spaces 5% and 51, respectively. If the facing materials are metal coated, uncoated tile may be employed. If the facing materials are uncoated, then the tiles employed in this wall construction may have metal coatings on their faces 52.

By the terms facing material or facing elements employed in this specification is meant such materials as building paper, plaster lath, plaster board, fiber board, wall board, lath, metal lath, and generally such building materials as are or may be employed in a wall construction of the type shown and which are placed against air spaces.

I claim:

A wall construction comprising precast ceramic elements, each having a main body and integral flanges extending from said body, said elements being arranged with the flanges of some of the elements abutting edgewise against the flanges of the other elements and forming air spaces therebetween, the body portion of each element bearing a metal coating exposed to said air space.

JOSEPH L. FINCK. 

